My AE34 now has gold trim!

[finlover]

I'm finally getting around to posting a few shots of the 34 with its proper matte finish gold trim.  The second photo shows the previous polished brass trim.  Polished gold would have looked a lot flashier, I'm guessing AE chose the matte because it wouldn't show fingerprints as easily.  It's hard to say how well the plating would have held up on high wear parts like the fingerwheel and plunger, but at least gold is resistant to tarnish, unlike brass.

It's interesting that 24 karat gold has an orangey cast to it compared to the 14 or 18K used for jewelry.  Truthfully it looks an awful lot like gold spray paint!  To achieve the matte finish the brass parts had to be sand blasted, then silver plated, then gold plated.  In my opinion it gives the phone a reserved yet elegant look--what do you guys think?

[finlover]

last pic

[HarrySmith]

I think it looks absolutely fantastic! Great job! It is a showpiece for sure!

Harry

[finlover]

Thanks, Harry!  The matte gold makes an interesting contrast to the chrome trim on my AE40.

[AE_Collector]

Looks great! As you said, it is a bit of a tough call as the polished brass looks great as well. Presumably they didn't have any way to keep brass from tarnishing back then so went with the gold plate. Brass wasn't desirable back then.

I like my phones as original as possible so ultimately I would want the matte gold over polished brass.

Are you taking orders to convert complete sets of black painted trim to gold matte?

Terry

[finlover]

I like my phones as original as possible so ultimately I would want the matte gold over polished brass.

Are you taking orders to convert complete sets of black painted trim to gold matte?

Terry

Thanks, Terry!  Like you, the purist in me had to have the matte gold, even though the polished brass is just as attractive IMO.  It was a bit of a challenge finding a company willing to sand blast small parts, and the first fingerwheel got damaged by too aggressive a grit.  The guy who plated the parts for me does custom plating for brass intrument mouthpieces, but I'm sure someone who makes custom jewelry could handle it too.  If you can't find anyone in your area to do them, I can orchestrate it--for a price

[Dan/Panther]

Greg;
I prefer the matte finish.
Anodized aluminum would look pretty much the same, if they made the parts in aluminum. That would make a very interesting aftermarket parts kit.
Excellent job as usual.
Still waiting for the photos, I don't recall what type music you play, is it blues or Rock, or country or a combination ?
D/P

[Dan]

Greg, the 34 is beautiful. I wouldn't change a thing. I've wanted on of these a while. They are even sweeter looking than the AE40's, which are beautiful too.

[JorgeAmely]

Greg:

You knocked it out of the park with this one! It looks fantastic. Just a quick question: how do you remove the caps to see the handset elements?

[finlover]

Muchas Gracias, Jorge!  On the larger transmitter side, grasp the metal ring and unscrew it.  On the receiver side the trim ring and earpiece are connected so they unscrew together.  If you decide you want to separate the trim ring from the earpiece, let me know and I'll lend you the tool for it (an allen wrench won't work).

[McHeath]

Beautiful phone, and the gold trim has a nice time period look that is unique.  Personally I like shiny stuff and matte finishes don't usually appeal to me.  However I also know that it's a correct finish for the time and was clearly what they wanted.  The 34 is such a nice design anyway, and this one really looks like it fell into a worm hole and landed on your desk, fresh from the factory with the extra cost gold in perfect condition.  That must have been a phone for fairly well to do people at the time, it's technologically advanced, artsy, and the gold is pure eye candy. 

Wonder if anyone plates their modern cell phones with gold?

[JorgeAmely]

Good comparison McHeath. I would say the AE34 and all those with flashy trims would be the equivalent of today's smart phones.

How about this one below?

[Dennis Markham]

Beautiful phone, Greg!

[JorgeAmely]

If you decide you want to separate the trim ring from the earpiece, let me know and I'll lend you the tool for it (an allen wrench won't work).

What is the name of the tool that will remove the ring from the cap? Picture?

[savageje]

I think I like the satin-finished trim better.  The phone looks much more austere.  I really dig the AE34 handset design.  I don't have one of those in my collection yet, but hope to eventually.  Great restoration work!